ATTITUDE VS. APTITUDE
Which is more important. Obviously you need to have both, but where should your attention be.

Assume you are the best firefighter in the world. They could make an IFSTA manual by just following you around all day. You eat breath, and sleep fire service. But you aren't't the nicest most personable guy. This will get you a front row seat to watch the guys with minimum skills with a good attitude, get and keep the good jobs.

The Fire Service can take just about anyone off the street and make them into a firefighter in a year, as long as they can go into a burning building and see blood. Usually a poor attitude is a long-term thing. Attitude is your rudder through life. Be aware most departments already have enough people working there with an attitude problem, and don't need any more.

For example, I am working with a newly hired firefighter. He's working through his probation and has a great attitude. He doesn't sit in the recliners in front of the T.V., ever! If a training video is being reviewed he brings in a kitchen chair. He is aware that other peoples perceptions are very important to your reputation in the fire service.

Another example of this is; an engineer, from another shift was working with us and told him to relax nobody would care. Not 15 seconds latter he began telling us that someone else just hired was spending all their time in the easy chairs. I asked him if he'd seen this. He said no, he'd just heard about it. He proved the point right there. You could do something once and have someone see it, tell someone else, and suddenly your " Easy chair Charlie". Probation is hard enough. Don't make it harder than it has to be. "Attitude is such a small thing that can make such a huge difference." Courtesy of Captain Rob, nrtc@sonic.net, www.eatstress.com

ROOKIES GUIDE TO SUCCESS
* Stay physically fit
* Test as much as possible, practice does make perfect! You will be come more relaxed and familiar with the questions, test and interviews. How do you find these tests & interviews? Join a service like Fire Career Assistance OR check frequently on our web site. Use your extra time for studying, education or training. Stop wasting time and effort. Simplify your job search.
* Don't come to work with earrings, died hair and pants to your knees. It's Not MTV
* Look like a professional. Take pride in your uniform
* Make friends
* Maintain professional competence
* Don't spout off in public. Let your performance speak for itself
* Go with your natural instinct
* Drive safely & conscientiously
* Don't judge other's actions until you know all the facts
* Go to the bathroom while you have the chance
* Be extremely careful when backing up a vehicle. Use a back up person when possible
* Learn to type & use a computer
* Be empathetic, it could be you
* Longevity doesn't guarantee perfection, even veterans make mistakes.
* Learn new ways to communicate, languages, sign language, etc.
* Don't bring your problems to work
* Become educated
* Respect & learn from seniors
* Be your worst own critic
* Even though most calls are uneventful, don't get to relaxed because the next one might be worse.
* Avoid gossip

---

---

STAY CURRENT ON THE FIRE OR EMS FIELDS
"Know your potential Employer" What are the current developments in the fire industry? Do you know enough about what is going on that you could impress someone offering you a job? If not, find out quickly through online journals, magazines and newsletters. The more information you know about your potential employer, the more confident and prepared you will be when interviews are conducted. Sounding prepared and confident in your abilities are important qualities in this competitive working environment.

LEARN ON YOUR OWN TIME
An employee who continually tries to enhance his/her skills through further training always impresses an employer, but who gets that training on his or her own time rather than on the job has a decided edge.

UNDERSTAND PERSONALITY TYPES
Being a team player in the fire service is a must. Knowing how & where you fit in is an important aspect because, it allows you and your coworkers time to adapt to each other. That means knowing how to work with different personality types.

CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION
So you have followed all of the expert advice in getting ahead, but you are still being passed over. You may need to look at your educational level. In the fire service, like in many other fields, a degree is a definite requirement to get beyond a certain level. You have learned everything you need to know in high school the fire academy and on the job. Not to mention all those seminars and training classes you've taken. A college degree symbolizes many things, among them, a commitment to a voluntary goal and critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills are unfortunately not usually developed in high school where accumulating facts is more the goal. In college students are expected to state their own opinions and support or refute the experts by working out those opinions.